Song as Old as Rhyme
by JackieStarSister
Summary: Character studies based on songs from Les Misérables. 1. "Castle on a Cloud" Henry's hopes and daydreams, depicted not long before the start of the series. 2. "Suddenly" Rumplestiltskin was able to admit and reflect on how much Belle meant to him. Do you think I should continue this? Please review!
1. Castle on a Cloud

Song: "Castle on a Cloud" from _Les Misérables_, composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil.

This takes place before the Pilot episode.

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><p><em>There is a castle on a cloud,<em>

_I like to go there in my sleep,_

_Aren't any floors for me to sweep,_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

On damp mornings, a mist, characteristic of coastal New England mornings, surrounded the base of the play structure. Henry liked to imagine that it was in the clouds, like the giant's castle in "Jack and the Beanstalk" (he liked that title better than "Jack the Giant Killer," because it wasn't like killing giants was Jack's occupation).

Henry liked to read about (his grandparents) Snow White and Prince Charming's castle, situated on a cliffside peninsula. This playground was the closest he could get, he thought ruefully. But he hoped that one day he would set foot in the castle whose picture he studied in his book.

_There is a room that's full of toys,_

_There are a hundred boys and girls,_

_Nobody shouts or talks too loud,_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

There were plenty of fairy tales about children who had wicked stepmothers or were separated from their parents. Both happened to Rapunzel. Her isolated tower was so tall, it was practically in the clouds.

The stories claimed Rapunzel's mother was under a kind of spell when she agreed to give up her child in exchange for the plant she craved. She really seemed to believe that the witch would take good care of her child – offer her a better life than what her parents could give her. She wanted to give her child a better chance.

It was unclear what became of Rapunzel's parents. Henry thought they must have missed Rapunzel, maybe even regretted the bargain, once it was too late. Some versions of the story said the family was reunited after the prince – Bastion, or perhaps Stephen – rescued her. Henry liked this ending best; it made him hopeful that he would meet his parents, or at least his mother, and that Emma would meet her parents, Snow White and Prince Charming.

_There is a lady all in white,_

_Holds me and sings a lullaby,_

_She's nice to see and she's soft to touch,_

_She says "Henry, I love you very much."_

Archie had asked him to explain why it was so important that the Curse was real. But Henry wondered, what was there to explain?

For one thing, the curse had everything to do with Henry's birth mother, and with Emma's parents, whom she had sought all her life. For another, it dealt with the truth; and everyone wants to know the truth, no matter how painful it may be.

_I know a place where no one's lost,_

_I know a place where no one cries,_

_Crying at all is not allowed,_

_Not in my castle on a cloud_


	2. Suddenly

**Author's Note:** This song, entitled "Suddenly," is not performed in the stage musical _Les Misérables_. It was composed specifically to be included in the movie adaptation of the musical. The director Tom Hooper and composers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil wanted to include a longer sequence about Jean Valjean adopting Cosette, and so composed a new song about them. It's really beautiful, even if Hugh Jackman isn't the best singer. If you haven't heard it, listen to the clip on iTunes, or watch the behind-the-scenes video on YouTube.

This takes place roughly from the time Belle and Rumpelstiltskin meet to the period during Season 2, prior to the events of "The Outsider." If you're interested, I've written more about them in my "Missing Moments" oneshots.

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><p><em>Suddenly I see<em>

_Suddenly it starts_

_When two anxious hearts_

_Beat as one._

_Yesterday I was alone_

_Today you walk beside me_

_Something still unclear_

_Something not yet here_

_Has begun._

The first secret Belle learned about Rumplestiltskin, she learned from her own deduction. She found the room containing what remained of Baelfire's belongings. Since she had already figured out what this could mean, he didn't hesitate long before confirming it.

"There was a son. I lost him … as I did his mother."

She knew, then, that he had once been with a woman. She, on the other hand, had never known man. She was still young, unlike him; even ignoring the fact that he'd been alive for over three hundred years, he had aged almost fifty years by the time he became the Dark One.

From the day he revealed that he had lost a family—a wife and a son—Belle felt sympathy for him, and knew that he had sorrow which he tried to hide. It took time for her to earn Rumplestiltskin's trust, and for him to have the courage to let her in.

"No one could ever, ever love me!"

That was one of the last things he had said to her, as she remembered once the Curse broke. But when she told him, "I love you," he responded, "Yes," as though he believed her now. Perhaps the sorrow of her supposed death had made him realize that he did, in fact, love her.

_Suddenly the world_

_Seems a different place_

_Somehow full of grace_

_And delight._

_How was I to know_

_That so much love_

_Was held inside me?_

_Something fresh and young_

_Something still unsung_

_Fills the night._

"I have lost so much that I loved. I didn't want to lose you again … without you knowing everything."

But even then, he hadn't told her everything. He couldn't tell her about Milah. First he hid it because there was no need for her to know; then, when she continued to reach out to him through courtship, he hid it because if she knew that he had killed his wife—well, then, there was no reason she shouldn't think that he wouldn't hurt or kill her either. She wouldn't trust him anymore; and Belle's trust meant everything to him.

Despite what he said about the chipped cup and Baelfire's shawl, Belle was his greatest treasure. Not that he viewed her as a possession, something he owned. He knew that she wasn't truly his to lose. He let her come and go of her own free will. But he did view her as precious, worthy and in needed of protection.

_How was I to know at last_

_That happiness can come so fast?_

_Trusting me the way you do_

_I'm so afraid of failing you_

_Just a child who cannot know_

_That danger follows where I go_

_There are shadows everywhere_

_And memories I cannot share_

Sometimes it felt as though their relationship moved slowly, gradually, at a healthy pace. There had been the time when they lived together in the Enchanted Forest; and now they were courting—or, as the younger people of the town would call it, dating—in Storybrooke.

And then, there were times when things between them changed suddenly and drastically. Like the day he threw her out. And the day she returned to him. Though neither of them mentioned it, they both knew from experience that things could change, for the better, or for the worse.

That made them even more determined to enjoy whatever time they had together.

_Nevermore alone_

_Nevermore apart_

_You have warmed my heart_

_Like the sun._

_You have brought the gift of life_

_And love so long denied me._

_Suddenly I see_

_What I could not see_

_Something suddenly_

_Has begun._


End file.
